Then this: My task is to become a gentle persuader....nudge those at the extreme towards the middle and prevent President Obama.
Well, which is it?
Either conservatives don't matter because their votes will be made up by the middle, or they need to be nudged "towards the middle" to "prevent President Obama".
Actually, I think that McCain's (and much of the GOP's) gamble has been to appeal to the squishy middle, at the expense of what they see as right wing kooks. And of course, if they end up needing those "extremists", they can always throw out some appeal to fear to get us on board.
If that has been the case, so be it, but it may end up being a losing tactic.
The way I see it, McCain has repeatedly flipped the bird at movement conservatives, and now has a "problem with the base". However, conservatives who now don't support McCain are being criticized as though they are the problem. You know, McCain created this situation, not conservatives. In other words, if the candidate doesn't appeal to voters, don't blame the voters.
....Well, which is it?....
It is not either or, but both.
Some may have solved the equation omitting the extreme right.
I prefer a safety fctor, a better margin. Thus the effort.